Using essential oils with your yoga practice

If you enjoy both yoga and essential oils, you might be interested in ways you can combine the two. Experiencing both simultaneously can help you elevate your yoga practice to a moment of tranquility, grace and relaxation. We look at the benefits of this idea and cover some great essential oil recipes perfect for when your practising yoga.

Essential Oils

Your yoga studio may already be using aromatherapy as part of their sessions. In fact, some studios may lightly spritz the room with essential oils to help stimulate an emotional and a physiological response.

If you enjoy a particular aroma at your yoga studio, then ask for the recipe or the brand. Often the yoga studio will sell to you directly but if they don’t, then check out an online store like YUNI Beauty for a range of yoga-related products.

If you want to create your own aromatherapy blends, read on for some useful hints, tips and recipes.

Aromatherapy blends in Yoga

It’s easy to use essential oils in aromatherapy during a yoga session. By rubbing a few drops of your favorite oils onto your skin, you can enjoy a tranquil yoga session that is guaranteed to both stimulate and relax.

Though essential oils can be applied for a number of reasons, using 1 to 2 drops of oil on your soles, abdomen, and temples can greatly boost your mental well-being and encourage you to press into your yoga poses more intently.

Please note: Always try a small test patch on your skin when applying any essential oil, as allergic reactions can happen.

However, don’t use too much or your skin may become slippery. This can pose a risk to your yoga session, as a compromised grip may result in an inability to properly perform or reach your poses.

Cleaning Your Yoga Mat

Spraying your yoga station is also a great routine to incorporate into your yoga practice, as it works to deodorize your yoga matand enhance your experience, and since many essential oils are antibacterial, you also benefit from a cleaner space.

If you’d prefer, you can also just spray your aroma into the air so that it permeates the room. However, a more efficient way to scent the air is through aromatherapy.

This will help in associating the aroma with the positive aspects of your yoga session, helping you to prolong the effects of your workout long after your session.

How Essential Oils Affect You

Whether you blend several oils or use just one, all essential oils will affect your mood and your mind. Since different scents are useful under different circumstances, it’s good to know what some of the most popular scents are for.

Check out a few distinct blends that are designed with clarity, focus and relaxation in mind.

To Energize you for yoga practice:

If you’re about to start your yoga session but you’re feeling tired, try some citrus oils to pep you up.

Orange, lemon, grapefruit, and lime are known to improve your mood and boost your energy, as they stimulate the release of endorphins and other hormones.

Minty scents on the other hand, stimulate your circulation, so spearmint, wintergreen and eucalyptus also work to increase your energy level without the mood elevating effects.

A few drops creating a blend between the essential oils mentioned above will help prepare you for your next session.

For a Relaxing session:

If you’re under a lot of stress at work or dealing with difficulties in your personal life, essential oils can also help release some of the tension you’re experiencing.

Lavender, chamomile, bergamot, and jasmine are all known to slow the activity in your nervous system, whether you inhale them or apply them to your skin.

Try experimenting with a few essential oil blends to gauge which affects you positively when you’re feeling drained or fatigued.

Getting Focused:

Feeling distracted and having a hard time concentrating on yoga?

Try rosemary oil with lavender to help improve your focus.

Rosemary increases your circulation, making you feel more alert and lavender calms your mind, helping you to focus.

Essential Oil Recipes for your Yoga Practice

There are plenty of recipes and essential oil combinations available if you know where to look.

Check online, at your local bookstore or at your yoga studio for suggestions and ideas until you find the ones that work best for you.

Your essential oil needs—whether you’re misting or applying directly to the skin—will vary from day to day.

For Focus:

When you combine your essential oils, you’ll want to use about 25 to 30 drops for every six ounces of water.

Choose the oil you want to feature (most often it’ll be your favorite scent) and apply 12 to 15 drops per six ounces.

Use the other essential oils in any way you like to make up the rest of the blend.

These proportions are great for applying gently onto the skin, scenting the room or for aromatherapy.

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Ease of Use & Buying Oils

If you are not confident in your abilities to concoct your own blend of essential oils, then you’re in luck. There are all sorts of ready-made essential oil combinations and blends.

You don’t need to mix the oils up yourself if you find them pre-mixed. Just make sure you’re purchasing from a reputable store that sells high-quality products.

It also helps to have the opportunity to smell before buying. If you’re buying online and can’t smell before your purchase, then ask about a return policy.

Many online stores have 100% satisfaction guarantees.

On the other end of the ease-of-use spectrum, some people choose to start with whole leaves or fruit peels and extract the oils themselves.

Though this may seem time-consuming, you will be assured of the purest ingredients if you’re actually extracting the oils yourself.

The Right Oils for You

It doesn’t matter if you practice yoga at home or in a studio, and it doesn’t matter if once-a-week yoga is enough for you or yoga is part of your life every day, you can incorporate essential oils into your routine to improve your entire yoga experience.

Carolyn Clarke is a freelance blogger based in Los Angeles, California, focusing on health and nutrition.
When she’s not doing research on the latest food trends from her kitchen, she can be found hiking in the mountains with her pitbull, Jackson.

Once I went to a vinyasa flow yoga class where we had received at the beginning of the class a drop of eucalyptus oil and I loved it. Good article ? love to read more of this topic 🙂 as a yoga teacher I will try your combination of oils and let you know how it goes 🙂